Chemistry
by lumoscrimsom
Summary: Remus is directing the university play, in which the lead actor is extremely gifted.


**Disclaimer: **Not mine. Peace out.

"Don't forget to include your language features in your coursework," the English professor called over the din of students packing away their books and folders, "Or you won't be anywhere near those top grades!"

Remus slung his bag over his shoulder and funnelled out the door alongside Lily, chatting aimlessly about lunch as they headed down to the canteen. They turned the corner onto the physics corridor when two tall boys barrelled out of one of the classrooms, one still wearing a white lab coat. The one with glasses and the messy hair ruffled Lily's hair as he skipped past.

"Looking _fiiine_ today, Evans!" he called after her.

"Go to hell!"

"I'm afraid I'm already due to be at the theatre, but I'll be sure to drop in hell later."

Lily growled under her breath, making Remus edge away from her a step, a sound that deepened when the other boy jogged past and threw her a wink, disappearing around the corner with the first.

"James Potter," Lily snapped, "Is the most arrogant toe rag in the university."

"I don't know." Remus shrugged doubtfully, "That Sirius Black could give him a run for his money."

"Wait." Lily said suddenly, stopping in her tracks and causing several other students to grumble and walk around her. Remus walked couple more steps before realising she wasn't with him and stopped, turning to lift a questioning eyebrow at her. "Isn't the director and writer supposed to be at rehearsals?"

Remus' eyes widened and he muttered, "Shit." Before turning and sprinting in the same direction as Potter and Black towards the campus theatre. Students shouted indignantly after him as he shoved through the crowds heading to lunch, but he ignored them, muttering a string of breathless curses as he ran and – finally – crashed into the theatre, running headlong into a tower of chairs to the left of the entrance. He flew forward with the chairs and did a sort of forward roll over them somehow land on his feet in between the stage and seats. He straightened up and cleared his throat in the surprised silence and waved a hand in greeting as he moved to go take his usual third row seat in the centre of the auditorium.

"Nice entrance." Black smirked from the centre of the cast sat on the stage, "Makes up for the fact that you're _late_."

"You'd make a good stunt double." Potter commented as he did his hair in the reflection of the back of his iPod touch. Remus grit his teeth and got to his feet as he dumped his bag on the seat beside him.

"I saw that you two were late, too." He snapped, "So don't give me that."

"When did you see us?" Potter asked suspiciously.

"Aw, man! Thought we'd got away with it this time." Black sighed.

"I was with Lily." Remus reminded Potter, a little indignant that they hadn't noticed their director and writer of their last two plays and their final one for which they were currently rehearsing standing right in front of them. The pair gave each other clueless glances so Remus sighed and moved on, "We're moving on to the scene with Sam and Chloe. I hope you've all memorised your lines, remember we're doing it with_out_ the scripts as far as we can. Black, Prewett, onstage now. Everyone else off."

"Yes boss." Potter saluted as he and the other cast members shifted from the stage and into the auditorium. Black and Alice Prewett took their places and paused, waiting for Remus' word to go. Remus held up a hand and then pointed, calling, "Action!"

Black instantly transformed before their eyes. Remus caught his breath as he always did when he watched the raven haired actor perform, sinking slowly into his seat but leaning forward in anticipation. Black walked – no, stormed – to one side of the stage and then spun around to throw a hot glare at Prewett, who flinched. Remus knew her reaction was from the realness of the emotion and not her acting skill, which were nowhere near as good as her peers'.

"Don't lie to me!" Black yelled, his voice echoing off the rafters, "Don't…" he trailed off and his expression faded into heart wrenching disappointment, "Don't treat me like the fool _you_ have made me."

"I've told you nothing but the truth." Prewett shot back and Remus grimaced. She didn't understand the character at all – her reply came whiny and pleading instead of strong and defiant. The only reason Remus had cast her was because he believed in equal opportunity and tried to give each actor in their club the chance to be one of the leading actors; this was, for example, Black's first leading role, even though Remus had instantly fallen in love with his talent and cast him as characters with plenty of lines.

"Avoiding my questions is _not_ the truth." Black snarled, advancing on her and then stopped to run his hand through his hair, closing his eyes to calm himself, "Look, if you've been seeing him, just tell me and we can—"

"No!" Prewett cried after an awkward moment of silence, moving forward to take a hold of Black's shirt. She went to say her next line, but Remus held up a hand and shook his head, closing his eyes as if in pain. Both actor's stopped and waited nervously – Remus was a tough director.

"No, no, no," Remus sighed, "Prewett, didn't you listen to me last week? Chloe's character is defiant, _fiery_! All you're giving me is _desperate_ and _pathetic_."

Prewett gulped and glanced at Black, but he was looking at Remus with a slight frown. Remus knew that Black agreed with him – this was his big role in his last year at the university, he wanted this to be right, to be the best. And hell if Remus couldn't make it happen.

"Why don't you show us then?" Longbottom said testily from in front of Remus, "Show her instead of shouting.

Remus ground his teeth, ready to give a snappy, irate answer, but then he looked up at the stage and saw Black looking up at him, expressionless apart from a slightly raised eyebrow. Sceptical. Well, fine, if Black didn't believe that Remus could act out his own play, then he would prove him wrong. With a huff, Remus edged out of the auditorium to the whispers of the cast and stepped onto stage, ushering Prewett away impatiently.

"Right…" he said loudly, but trailed off when he turned to see the auditorium, not even full, staring down at him. He shuddered and suddenly remembered why he preferred directing and writing to acting. Black nudged him and asked if he was okay.

"Can't do it, director?" Potter called.

"Let him adjust," Black snapped, surprising Remus out of his daze, "Not everyone's made for this."

It was meant to be for support, but the comment only made Remus more determined to put his cast into their places and show them that he was to be listened to. Surely the writer would be able to act out his own characters?

"From the start of the scene." He ordered Black. The other boy smiled slightly and nodded, giving Remus a look that looked surprisingly like respect. Then, a moment later, Black was gone and Sam stood in his place instead. He strode to the other side of the stage and spun to glare at Remus, who felt more awkward and nervous than he ever had done on a stage. How was he supposed to act alongside such raw emotion? He would look even more of a fool than Prewett had…

"Don't lie to me!" Black cried, lifting his hands in a desperate plea, "Don't…" that expression of betrayal overcame him and Remus suddenly felt a rush, felt that he would be able to feed from Black's energy, "Don't treat me like the fool _you_ have made me."

"I've told you _nothing _but the truth." Remus said in a low voice, turning away and lifting his head enough to look at Black from under his lashes, throwing in a tremor in his voice, channelling the righteous anger he knew Chloe would be feeling before her fiancé. Yes, Black's energy was easy to feed from on stage when it was understood, when the roles were properly comprehended.

"Avoiding my questions is _not_ the truth." Black growled, advancing on Remus. He paused and tangled his fingers in his hair, letting his eyes slide closed, emanating the aura of a tired, middle aged man. "Look, if you've been seeing him, just tell me and we can—"

"No!" Remus cried at the exact right moment, cutting him off instead of waiting for a cue. He took two long strides forward and grasped Black's shirt with one hand. They had reached the point where he had cut them off, but he couldn't stop, relishing in the chemistry between him and Black, "I won't let you accuse me of something I haven't done."

"I think it's about time you gave me some truths." Black said in a hard voice, shaking Remus' hand off and looking across at him with distrust, "Don't you?"

Remus grabbed Sirius by the shirt again, this time with both hands, "What would you do if I had a secret?" he asked in a hushed, hurried voice, "What if what you don't know could tear us apart?"

Black's hands came up slowly to cover his, the cruel expression softening, "That could never happen."

"You'll run." Remus stage whispered, bowing his head and resting it again Black's shoulder, "And you'll never look back."

"I never thought you'd take me for a coward." Black said with a warning growl in his chest, lifting Remus' chin with a finger. That was where Remus had meant to end the scene and then turn to Prewett, throw out his arms and scream, "See? _See_? ACTING. Try it sometime." But Black was obviously caught up in their on stage drama and continued on to the next stage direction, proceeding to grasp Remus around his jaw. Remus blinked at him, unsure of what was going to happen, even though he was the one who had written it.

Black's mouth descended on his and Remus froze, his hands still clutching at Black's shirt. The other boy wouldn't desist, though, his hands relaxing on Remus and sliding around into his hair. Remus made a noise that sounded worryingly like a sigh and moved his lips against Black's, entirely blaming the inescapable chemistry between them on stage and fully committing to finishing the scene. He parted his lips when Black's warm, wet tongue begged entry and moaned as his mouth was thoroughly explored.

When they parted, Black's face was flushed as he looked down at him and said in an impossibly gentle voice Remus wouldn't have thought him capable of, "Please. Tell me everything."

For a split second, they stayed like that, Black staring into Remus' eyes, Remus' still holding on tight to Black, until Potter cleared his throat uneasily. They sprung apart awkwardly and stared at opposite parts of the theatre whilst their audience stared in disbelief.

"I think—" Remus croaked. He cleared his throat and tried again, "I think today's rehearsal is over now. Come back tomorrow and I want you all to properly learn who your characters are. That means you, Prewett!" he added as his cast filed out with gossipy murmurs. Once they were alone, Black and Remus looked at each other, each wondering what to say.

"I was, err, going to end the scene before the kiss, you know." Remus said, rubbing the back of his neck. Black ignored him and stepped closer.

"How can I never notice you outside of this theatre?" he asked softly, "When you can act like that?"

"Seems I can only act like that with you." Remus said, his voice sounding hoarse again. Black stepped even closer, his chest brushing Remus', and wounds his fingers back through his hair.

"Then why don't we practice that last bit again?" Black murmured, leaning closer.

"Again and again and again." Remus agreed under his breath a moment before their lips met.


End file.
